Gallery: CVM at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair

  • Four Canine Brain Tumor Program staff members pose with a colorful trivia prize wheel at an event booth.

    Gallery: CVM at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair

    CVM community members connect visitors with veterinary science across exhibits, booths, stage shows and more at the fair 

    Members of the Canine Brain Tumor Program team pose at their Minnesota State Fair booth in the University of Minnesota Research Building. 

Nearly 2 million people walked through the gates of the Minnesota State Fair this year, and many crossed paths with students, faculty, staff and alumni from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM).

From education to research to outreach opportunities, CVM community members 

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students on rotation or volunteering cared for more than 160 animals born at the Miracle of Birth Center. The college partners with Future Farmers of America and the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association on the exhibit, which celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Alumni, faculty and staff volunteers performed spay and neuter surgeries or served as moderators for crowds gathered at the MVMA’s Surgery Suite. 

The Raptor Center captivated audiences during shows at the DNR stage, introducing a few of its educational ambassadors while teaching visitors about the importance of raptors and the center’s work.

Faculty and staff from several teams across the college connected with fairgoers at booths in the research and education buildings. 

New to the fair this year was an exhibit that showcased how the University of Minnesota (UMN) contributes to equine healthcare, education, outreach and research—a collaborative effort between CVM, UMN Extension, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and University of Minnesota–Crookston.

A veterinary student points gestures toward a livestock pen while speaking with a visitor in a indoor barn facility.
A group of veterinary staff and students pose together in scrubs and clinical attire inside a clinic doorway.
A speaker holds up a printed anatomical diagram of a reproductive system while speaking into a microphone.
A veterinary volunteer cradles a small white lamb against her chest.
Visitors and staff gather around an enclosure to look at a sheep and hold a small lamb inside a barn facility.
Staff member sharing educational materials with a visitor at an event display table.
A presenter holds a hawk on a gloved hand during an outdoor Raptor Center educational demonstration.
A group of veterinary staff, students, and guests pose together inside an animal barn, with two students holding a lamb and a piglet.
Three University of Minnesota researchers in matching maroon shirts standing in front of wildlife monitoring posters.
A speaker addresses an audience onstage beside a graphic displaying Minnesota State Fair animal birth statistics.
College of Veterinary Medicine Associate Professor Maria Pieters addresses a crowd gathered to celebrate the Miracle of Birth Center's 25th anniversary.  

Miracle of Birth Center celebrates 25 years of education and outreach

Since 2001, millions of visitors to the Miracle of Birth Center at the Minnesota State Fair have watched newborn animals take their first breath and steps. 

In celebration of the center’s 25th anniversary, the people behind its operations gathered on Sept. 6 to reflect on its impact across those years. 

The center is staffed by volunteers from Future Farmers of America, the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) and the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). On hand to represent CVM were Maria Pieters, an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine (VPM) who oversees more than 100 veterinary student volunteers at the center; VPM Chair Montse Torremorell and Dean Laura Molgaard.  

Split image: Commemorative "25 Years of Miracles" cookies on left; veterinary faculty and students pose holding cookies on right.
Left: Cookies celebrating the Miracle of Birth Center's anniversary. Right: College of Veterinary Medicine faculty and students pose for a group photo at the center's anniversary celebration. 

Considered the most popular free exhibit at the fair, the Miracle of Birth Center has seen more than 4,000 animals born since it began operations—274 calves, 3,023 piglets and 770 lambs. Each of those births represents a chance to spark curiosity among visitors and create a connection to veterinary science and agriculture. 

Learn more about the history behind the Miracle of Birth Center.